The Alpinestars HT-7 heated gloves aim for the top spot of winter kit to save your digits

The HT-7s are Alpinestars’ top of the range, battery-powered heated, leather/textile CE-certified winter motorcycle gloves. They also produce a cheaper heated glove for town riding (HT-3 Heat Tech Drystar Gloves) and a mid-range, textile-only heated winter glove (HT-5 Heat Tech Drystar Gloves).

Comfort

Available in six sizes, from S to 3XL they’re reassuringly thick without being too bulky, so it’s easy to operate controls and switchgear wearing them and the fingers are touchscreen friendly. 7.4v rechargeable lithium polymer batteries supplied for each glove are relatively thin (12mm), but they make the cuff bulky (a common issue for battery-powered gloves).

That can make them tricky to slip on, especially over the sleeves of a bulky jacket, but once on they’re as comfy and easy fitting as a regular winter glove.

Looks

A world away from a traditional, bulky, utilitarian-looking glove, they’re neatly made and sporty looking thanks to their textile/leather mix construction and red accents.

Quality

Even without their hand-warming properties Alpinestars’ HT-7 Heat Tech Drystar gloves are warm, waterproof and sturdy. You turn them on via buttons on the cuff, but they also have sensors inside to detect your hands slipping in/out and turn on/off automatically. The system appears to be powered by witchcraft, but works perfectly, although they can get confused when you faff around to get them on.

Heat levels are controlled either on the glove (low, medium, high) or via Bluetooth on an Alpinestars app, that lets you fine-tune and view battery life. Heating elements run the length of the fingers, back of the hands and are insulated to keep in the warmth. Set on low, which is all you need to keep out the cold, the battery lasts around 2.5 hour. If it’s particularly grotty I wear a pair of overgloves on top for the ultimate in toastiness. Their only real downside is they don’t have a rubber visor wipe for rainy conditions.  

Protection

They’re made from a mix of a stretchy, lightweight textile material with goat leather leather palm, finger and cuff sections, plastic palm sliders and Level 1 KP-rated knuckle sections. Fortunately they haven’t tasted tarmac, but look and feel up to the job, if it happens.  

Value

You can pick up heated gloves for as little as a hundred quid, so these are right at the top end of the price scale, even compared to its most premium rivals. But the gloves’ detailing, ease of use, app connection, comfort and warmth won’t disappoint if you decide to take the plunge.

Verdict

Alpinestars HT-7 Heat Tech Drystar heated winter gloves are far from cheap, but they’re well made, comfortable waterproof and most importantly keep your hands beautifully warm, even in sub-zero conditions. They’re full of tech for perfect heat control and perfectly perform their neat trick of turning on/off automatically. There’s little not to like, although it would be nice if they were fitted with a visor wipe for rainy conditions.

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